04-13-2017, 04:48 PM
(04-13-2017, 04:03 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: The Steelers haven't done anything to improve, and 2 of the 3 BBB's are always at risk of missing games. Ben is now 35 and I don't see him lasting much longer with the punishment his style of play has produced.
Texans need a QB and missed out on Romo. 9-7 is probably their ceiling without one.
The Raiders have to deal with half empty stadiums and protests for the next 1-2 years. The Browns fell completely apart in 1995 under the same circumstances.
The Chiefs are a rock solid team under Andy Reid.
The Broncos are a question mark. They could rebound or this could be the beginning of some mediocrity. I'm guessing the latter.
Dolphins were a fluke
Titans are promising but we'll see
Ravens are 31-33 in 4 seasons since their SB win and have no scary players on their roster. Harbaugh has done an amazing job just making them mediocre, but they aren't a threat anymore.
The Colts are coming off 2 straight 8-8 seasons and Luck is the only reason anyone thinks they'll do anything.
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Btw, the Titans, Texans and Colts are obviously all in the same division. Same with the Raiders, Chiefs and Broncos.
It's unlikely that all will be playoff threats at the same time.
I'm not optimistic about this season with Ogbuehi and Fisher as bookend tackles, but I still like our chances better than some of these teams, including the Ravens.
Once the 4 Division winners are set that leaves only 2 Wildcard spots up for grabs.
The Steelers offense is formidable and they have another offseason to further upgrade their secondary.
They successfully upgraded their offensive line in recent years and tend to meet their Goals of upgrading areas of focus over time. If Big Ben stays healthy they have the inside track for the division. IMO.
I agree that we are right there in the Mix at least for a Wildcard but unless we do some things to help set us apart we could easily end up on the wrong side of a tiebreaker. Finding a way to Break Away from the Pack was a part of my purpose here. Being the Best out of 32 teams requires some distinguishing qualities. Some Elite qualities some where. Middle of the pack teams may want to focus on making Units of the team Elite rather than plugging their one or two holes with serviceable players. Hole plugging teams seem to stay with the pack.
Many Super Bowl winning teams had Greatness somewhere. Giants D-Line, Seahawks Secondary, Bears defense and now Dallas getting respect for their dominant O-line but no Super bowl win yet granted for this current Dallas group.
What Great quality can the Bengals lay claim to ?
Hole plugging probably won't get us there.
